Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶
It’s no surprise that hotel rates this summer are pretty pricey — such is life for a city that touts major music festivals, a NASCAR race and more.
Lollapalooza is usually the busiest hotel weekend of the year for Chicago, but Sun-Times research shows average daily hotel room rates during the Democratic National Convention in August are on track to be nearly $50 higher on average.
In today’s newsletter, we’ll look into how the convention is poised to drive up hotel room rates and what it means as downtown continues to shake off pandemic-era cobwebs.
Plus, we’ve got reporting on the future of the Jewelers Building, some past James Beard Award-winning restaurants to try, our coverage of last weekend’s Puerto Rican People’s Day Parade and more community news you need to know below. 👇
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)
TODAY’S TOP STORY
Democratic National Convention poised to drive up hotel room rates this summer — even more than Lollapalooza
Reporting by Abby Miller
Convention boost: In a typical summer, Chicago hotels see their best business during Lollapalooza, which draws in tens of thousands of tourists to see major music stars. But this year, the Democratic National Convention is on track to be an even bigger draw for hotels, which are charging sky-high rates for mid-August.
Average cost: The average rate during the convention is $534.88 a night, according to Sun-Times research of downtown hotel rates during three major summer events: the convention, Lollapalooza and NASCAR weekend. As of Thursday, the most expensive hotel with rooms still available for the convention was the Langham, a five-star hotel on the Chicago River charging $1,077 a night.
Democratic convention vs. Lolla vs. NASCAR: Lollapalooza trails just behind the convention in hotel rates. The average daily rate for Aug. 1-4, when the festival packs Grant Park, is $485.24. NASCAR’s street race weekend, July 6-7, averaged $278.29. The convention is on pace to be the only event for which some daily hotel rates climb above $1,000.
Pandemic-era cobwebs: In June 2019, before the pandemic disrupted the tourism industry, Chicago’s hotel occupancy climbed to 88.3%. It dropped to 76% in June 2023. The Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association projects June occupancy hitting 82.8% this year, within reach of pre-pandemic levels. The association doesn’t predict a full occupancy recovery until 2028, citing lagging international and individual business travel.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
- Jewelers Building to be sold: Two Chicago-based companies are teaming up to purchase the landmark Jewelers Building, with the door open for a conversion to residential use.
- Suburban residents admit to Jan. 6 role: Kelly Lynn Fontaine and Bryan Dula of Lockport were charged this year with participating in the Capitol riot, accused of spending 11 minutes in the Capitol building Jan. 6, 2021. Each pleaded guilty Monday to disorderly conduct and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, records show.
- Humboldt Park Beach reopens June 17: The city’s only inland beach is set to reopen next week after being closed for four years.
- Rizzo ready to return: Former Cub-turned-Yankee Anthony Rizzo told the Sun-Times that he’s thrilled to be playing at Wrigley Field in September— for the first time since he was traded in 2021.
- Buddy Guy packs the house: Hundreds gathered at Millennium Park Sunday evening to see the Chicago legend close out this year’s Blues Fest — and Guy delivered, writes Selena Fragassi in a review for the Sun-Times.
EXPLORING THE CITY 🍽️
How many of Chicago’s James Beard-award winning restaurants have you tried?
Reporting by Courtney Kueppers | WBEZ
The James Beard Foundation Awards ceremony, known as the Oscars of the food world, returns to the Lyric Opera House Monday.
Since the awards were established in 1990, Chicago restaurants have consistently garnered recognition, though not all of them remain open.
Here are some of the recent James Beard Award-winning spots you can visit today. For the full list of the 22 award-winning restaurants still open, head here.
Kasama
Award: Genie Kwon and Tim Flores, Best Chef Great Lakes
📍1001 N. Winchester Ave.
The duo behind Kasama were the most recent Chicago chefs to be recognized in this category by the Beards, taking home the best chef win in the Great Lakes category (where Chicago has been classified since 2007).
Year won: 2023
Virtue
Award: Erick Williams, Best Chef Great Lakes
📍1462 E. 53rd St.
Williams opened Virtue in 2018, which he has said combines his background in fine dining with his love for Southern cuisine. The combination has been a winning formula.
Year won: 2022
Publican Quality Bread
Award: Greg Wade, Outstanding Baker
📍1759 W. Grand Ave.; 211 Harrison St., Oak Park
“Bread Head” author Greg Wade’s baking is everywhere, from Publican Quality Bread’s two storefronts in West Town and Oak Park to plates served up at beloved local eateries like Avec and Daisies.
Year won: 2019
Sun Wah
Award: America’s Classics
📍5039 N. Broadway
Sun Wah has been serving “blue collar-style Hong Kong food,” as general manager Kelly Cheng described it, since 1987.
Year won: 2018
Monteverde
Award: Sarah Grueneberg, Best Chef Great Lakes
📍1020 W. Madison St.
Grueneberg opened her West Loop Italian restaurant and pastificio in 2015. At Monteverde, handmade pasta is created throughout the day, and classic dishes get a modern twist. It’s not surprising to see ingredients such as tahini and roasted miso, along with abundant gluten-free options
Year won: 2017
BRIGHT ONE ✨
46th Puerto Rican People’s Day Parade shows the ‘beauty of Chicago’
Reporting by Violet Miller
Hundreds cheered from the sidewalk of Division Street as the 46th annual Puerto Rican People’s Day Parade passed through Humboldt Park Saturday.
The parade was once again held at Paseo Boricua, the heart of Chicago’s Puerto Rican community — home to many of the 93,000-plus Puerto Ricans in Chicago, or 3.3% of its population, according to the 2020 Census — as part of Fiestas Patronales Puertorriqueñas.
The festival hosted new activities and features through the weekend, including a cook-off between firefighters and a 20-foot-wide map of Puerto Rico where guests can use stickers to mark the towns they are from. Organizers said they aimed to bring people together — as well as the usual arts, food vendors and dancing.
Dayanne Ivera, a Humboldt Park resident who moved to Chicago from Puerto Rico when she was 18, said she was attending for the first time because she “wanted to be in the mix.”
Now 32, she said though she returns to Puerto Rico every November for her birthday, always making sure to visit her grandparents. Being at the parade feels like home, she said.
“This is the closest you’re gonna get to Puerto Rico over here,” she said. “It gives you that nostalgic feeling going around smelling the food and hearing the music and the vibes of everybody. … It’s a great way to explore the culture authentically.”
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Editor: Satchel Price
Newsletter reporter: Matt Moore
Copy editor: Angie Myers
